The Need to Create

Inspiration

I absolutely love it when an artistic or creative idea comes to mind. I never really considered myself a very creative person growing up, but I was also very lost. Lost in society and in knowing who and whose I was. There wasn’t much that inspired me, but now inspiration comes often.

As a Christian, I believe that humanity has been made in the image and likeness of God. So then, if we have been made in His image and He is the creator of the heavens and Earth, then that means we have an amazing ability to create. I would even go as far to say that we have a need to create.

Edith Schaeffer said, “Encouraged, we recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically and creatively as creative creatures of the creator.”

Francis Shaeffer said, “Art is a reflection of God’s creativity, an evidence that we are made in the image of God.”

Vida Dutton Scudder said, “Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed.

How do you like to express yourself creatively? Where does your inspiration come from?

You Inspire Me

You Inspire Me – Poem on Oil

I love to create. I believe we were made to create. It’s like a driving force within. There’s a certain high that comes with creating something. The inspiration high.

I am a huge fan of the Ted Talks. There’s this one I’ve watched a couple of times by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. She spoke about creativity and how it could be divinely inspired. She shared the following:

In ancient Greece and ancient Rome people did not happen to believe that creativity came from human beings back then. People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source for distant and unknowable reasons. The Greeks famously called these divine attendant spirits of creativity ‘Daemons’. Socrates famously believed that he had a Daemon who spoke to him from afar. The Romans had the same idea but they called that sort of disembodied spirit a ‘Genius’, which was great because the Romans did not actually think that a genius was a particularly clever individual. They believed that a genius was this sort of magical divine entity who was believed to literally live in the walls of an artist’s studio … and who would come out and invisibly assist the artist with their work and who would shape the outcome of that work (source).

Now I don’t believe that there are genius’ in the walls, but I do believe that creativity and inspiration can be divine and is something that has been carved – breathed – into each of us. Like I mentioned in a past post, we all have an impulse to create. It’s in our veins.

Do you love to create? Do you believe that we were made to create? Where do you think creativity and inspiration comes from?

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The above poem is one that I wrote some time ago. I wanted to embed it into an original art piece, because in the past I had it embedded in a photograph. I’m not completely happy about the way the painting turned out, but I guess that’s all part of the learning process.

Please forgive me if I’ve been a little distant lately. I have been quite busy. I will be around very soon though ok. 🙂 ❤

Mysterious Presence

 

This is my very first Photoshop project. Anyone that has been reading my blog for some time knows that I love putting images and poetry together. Even better when the entire piece is original.

These Sticks, This Tree

I’m super excited. I have joined a faith-based arts community on-line, because I really like mixed-media art and want to learn how to do it. I also have this crazy urge to just create, so this gives me the opportunity to learn and grow. The above picture is the first I’ve done since elementary school I think. It is the first piece I’ve done of a five-week course offered within this online community. Once I was finished, I was inspired to write the poem.

Ok, I know it’s no Picasso, but there is really something exhilarating about creating something yourself and seeing the end product.

Do you like to create? What are your creative outlets?

Creative Burst – Haiku

These past days I have been wired. Why? Because I want to create. I want to write poetry and songs, do contemporary dance, learn more about photography, especially creating art with photos, like surrealist photography. But what I’m really dying to do is experiment with mixed-media and whimsical art. There’s so much I want to do, and so little time. I’m one of those people that, once I set my mind to something, or once I get an idea in my head, I become somewhat extremist. So my mind truly felt like it was about to burst.

I wrote a post some time ago, Impulse to create and establish order, in which I wrote a quote from author, Steven Altrogge – “God has filled our veins with creative juices. We can’t help it. We must create.” Maybe that’s why I just want to create.

Do you ever feel like this? What, or where do you think this need to create comes from? Have you ever felt like you were going to burst if you didn’t just let go and create?

The Poet and Poem (Etheree)

Life
A prayer
Poetry
In the making
Physical being
Emotion and feeling
Intellectual reason
Tears, laugh, joy, pain, love, hate, loss, gain
Combine, intertwine in space and time
Carefully shaped by hands of the divine

Have you ever thought of life, and all it entails, as being a poem? Have you ever thought about what the true meaning of ‘poem’ is? I have.

Yesterday, I read a post from a fellow blogger and amazing poet. The last stanza in His poem entitled, “Cloud 9” goes like this: “life and poetry are all the same”. It was that line that inspired this poem.

The origin of the word, “poetry” in English is taken by the Greek, “poetica”, which is derived from the verb, “poiein”, that means, “to make” (source).  Another Greek word, from where we get poem and poetry from, is “poiema” and means, “workmanship” or “something made” (source). As a Christian, I believe that I have been divinely made by a great poet and that all that my life entails is what is becoming a passionate and spirited poem.

I came across an amazing song and video on YouTube by the composer “Michael Card”. His song, “Poem of your life” says it all. If you have the time, please check it out – Poem of your life (you may have to turn the subtitles off in the bottom left hand corner of the screen).

How about you? Have you ever thought of your life as a poem? Have you ever thought of yourself as “someone made” by a great poet?

Ping back: The Divine (clogynarch) 

A Human Being (Haiku)

Disconnect & Creativity

Metropolis life
Information addiction
Mental exhaustion

Far from media
Pockets of silence are found
Centeredness restored

Do you ever feel like you are addicted to information? Like you just can’t get enough? Do you ever feel like your brain is about to explode with all the information that is available to us now-a-day? I do.

Media is nothing new. It’s been around for many years. The first alphabet is over 3000 years old. Over time though, it has greatly advanced. From the first printing press to modern digital technology, where one can create, upload, and share information with people all over the world.

The internet has drastically changed the way we receive information. Not just the source, but the speed at which we do. With this though, I find myself obtaining way more information than I need, with a continual thirst for more.

The above poem was inspired by a message I heard at an Anglican church two Sundays ago. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t help but meditate on it more. Below are a few quotes from it:

• “Mediated boredom doesn’t allow us time to think.”
• “Unmediated disconnect opens doors for creativity.”
• “Come to God the creator and be re-created through rest.”

The times I’m most at peace are when I’m ‘disconnected’. The times I most create are when I’m ‘disconnected’. The times that I’m most at rest mentally and spiritually are when I’m ‘disconnected’ and in my secret place with Him.

How about you? Do you consider yourself to be addicted to information. Do you find it overwhelming? Do you think that it can hinder personal creativity? Do you ever ‘disconnect’ and allow yourself time for un-mediated thought?

A Human Being – Haiku

A human being
Poetry in the making
Each word penned with thought

A human being
Fine musical orchestra
The conductor leads

A human being
Not complicated machine
Spirit, soul, body

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a human being? Considered the differences there are between humans and other creatures? Do you think we’re special in some way? Just a bit of food for thought as we go into our weekend.

This is my first Haiku poem.  I’m new to writing, especially poetry.  I know I’m not that seasoned yet, but I’m really wanting to branch out and grow.  I would appreciate any feedback or advice that you may have for me :-). So many of you are such eloquent poets and writers, and I admire the beauty that I read in your work.  Your words to me will not be taken lightly.

 

FFTF (Food for Thought Friday) – Gluten-free Quesadillas & “Do you have a calling?”

FFTF – Food for the body and the spirit

Happy Friday to you!  Who doesn’t love Fridays? I think almost everybody does? It’s the start of the weekend, which means it’s time to relax, have some fun, meet with friends, spend quality time with family, etc. Sooooo, why not start off the weekend with some yummy quesadillas? – but not the ones you may be used to.  Check out this gluten-free recipe.  Then check out the “Food for the Spirit” below.

serves 4

Tortillas (adapted from http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/08/23/simple-paleo-tortillas/)

• 2 eggs and 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp ground coconut
• Pinch of salt

Filling

• Some type of meat (shredded chicken, turkey breast, Canadian bacon, etc.)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• a little olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• 20 spinach leaves

First make the tortillas.  Crack the eggs into a medium-size bowl and whisk.  Then add the butter, baking soda, arrowroot powder, ground coconut (or coconut flour) and pinch of salt.  Spoon an 1/8th of the recipe (about 4 Tbsp) into an 8 inch round non-stick frying pan and swirl it so that it covers the surface.  it will be very thin, as if making crepes.  Cook through on one side (about 1-2 minutes) and then flip and cook the other side (1-2 minutes). This recipe is so easy peasy and delicious.

Now for mounting the quesadillas.  But first you need to sauté your tomato and onion.  Just pour a little olive oil into a frying pan and add the tomato and onion until it is nicely sautéed.  Then take one tortilla and place the meat on first (quantity is up to you). Follow with 1/4 of the cheese, 1/4 of the sauteed tomato and onion and 5 spinach leaves.  Place another tortilla on top and put in a pre-heated oven, just until the cheese is melted.  Or, you could nuke it in the microwave.

These were so good they’ve become a staple in our household now.  Arrowroot is a great option for those that don’t want gluten in their diet.  It is very low in calories and fat free.  It also has relatively more protein than other starchy food sources such as yam, potato, cassava and plantain and is easily digestible.

For the Spirit

Do you have a calling?

Of course you do.  We all do.  We were made with a purpose.  You have a calling in life.

In the Bible – in the book of Genesis – God called Abraham to leave his country and go to a place that He was going to show him (Genesis 12).  He, essentially, was the first missionary recorded in history. Moses also had a calling – to deliver the people of Israel from the oppression they were suffering in Egypt (Exodus 3).  Then there was Gideon (Judges 6), the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3), the small boy, David, that became King (1 Samuel 16), and the list goes on throughout the entire Bible.

Then there was Staci. Huh?! Wait! There was no ‘Staci’ in the Bible. That’s right. I was born long after it was written. God doesn’t change though.  He’s still passionate about the human race.  He still wants to create, love, impact, inspire, and be known by those he made. He still works on establishing His kingdom here on Earth.  “How does he do that though?”, you may ask. He does it through us. He does it through people. He gives us, His creation, the amazing privilege to co-create with Him. And He gives us satisfaction in fulfilling the mandate he’s given us.

On ‘wiki.answers.com’ I found this definition on ‘What it means to have a calling in life’:

“It is based on the belief that each person is placed on Earth by God to do something.  For some people it may be something great, for others it may be a small and simple thing but it is something that only that one person can do.”

I received a calling from God to go into the nations of the world and minister to the deepest needs of people, which are not always the most obvious needs. Sounds pretty heavy, doesn’t it? I received my calling in such a personal and intimate way. My experience was very supernatural.  Not all people have a strong experience like mine. However, all people receive their calling through relationship with the Almighty Himself.

So, how then can one find their calling in life? The answer is RELATIONSHIP.  You need to first have a relationship with God. And how does one come into relationship with God? Check out this site: http://odb.org/personal-relationship-with-god/.

Please leave a comment and let me know about your calling.  How did you receive your calling?  What has God called you to do?

Check out my facebook page for my newest favorite breakfast recipe, Apple Yogurt Bowl – https://www.facebook.com/godcolouredgirl